Parma and Arsenal part ways as Cuesta exits Serie A role

Parma announced on Sunday that head coach Carlos Cuesta has departed the Serie A club by mutual agreement, ending his tenure that began in June 2025 after a spell as Arsenal’s assistant manager. The decision follows internal discussions that concluded the conditions for continuing the partnership and advancing the sporting project were not being met.

Mutual parting and next steps

Parma’s official website posted the statement on Sunday confirming Cuesta’s exit as head coach after internal talks between the club and the manager.

Those talks revealed that the conditions required to sustain the working relationship and progress the sporting project were not being met, prompting both parties to part ways amicably.

Parma thanked Cuesta and his staff for their hard work, dedication and professionalism, and announced that the club’s technical staff will oversee training while the search for a new head coach continues.

Season performance and future prospects

Cuesta signed a two‑year contract with an option for a third when he joined Parma in June 2025, taking charge of a side that had finished sixteenth in the 2024/25 campaign.

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During his first season the club climbed to thirteenth place in 2025/26, yet the opening five matches of the new campaign yielded one win, one draw and three defeats.

Reports indicate Cuesta is now open to a new challenge, having received approaches from clubs in France, England and Portugal over the summer.

He has repeatedly praised his time at Arsenal, describing his 2025 departure as perhaps the most difficult decision of his life. Regarding Mikel Arteta, Cuesta said: “He has always been extremely supportive through the whole process and still is. I can’t speak well enough about who he is, not just as a leader and a coach but as a human being.”

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Ultimately the lure of a permanent head‑coach role proved decisive, and Cuesta will now seek to continue his managerial career with a new club.